THE BASSES: FRES H-W ATER AND MARINE 



weight, Nos. 1 or 2 Sproat or O'Shaughnessy hooks 

 on gut snells will be found suitable. In trolling, 

 Sproat hooks Nos. 2-0 to 3-0 on gut snells are 

 recommended for small fish, and Nos. 5-0 to 6-0 

 for larger bass. The best hooks for surf fishing on 

 the coast are knobbed Sproat or O'Shaughnessy 

 hooks, Nos. 5-0 to 8-0. These are secured to the 

 line by two half -hitches, with an additional half- 

 hitch to attach the loose end. In California the 

 anglers who troll on Lake Merritt use a 3-0 Wilson 

 hook, but it is to be noted that the fish are not so 

 large in those waters as in the East. 



A characteristic outfit for Eastern anglers would 

 include twisted gut leaders with two three- foot 

 leaders in service, one of them attached to the line 

 with a brass swivel, the second fastened in like man- 

 ner to the first, and linked to the end of this, also 

 by means of a swivel, a small spinner of the screw- 

 propeller type. To the end of this spinner a stand- 

 ard hook, usually a 4-0 or 5-0, should be attached. 

 The best nine-foot leaders, made by looping three 

 leaders together and used for heavy bass, cost $7.50 

 a dozen. Increase in the length of a leader adds 

 greatly to its cost. 



Sinkers and Sundries. For still-fishing, sinkers 

 of different weights according to the strength of 

 the tide form a valuable adjunct, and over grassy 

 bottom a light float may be added with advantage 

 when using crab or shrimp for bait. Sometimes the 



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